Granular Body Grinding Device Fluidized Bed Cantilever Disc

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing granular body grinding devices face challenges such as difficult maintenance, vibration issues, and inefficient process efficiency due to heavy grinding wheels and oscillating rotors, which lead to poor quality of reclaimed foundry sands and high power consumption.

Innovation Solution

A granular body grinding device with a single, thin grinding disc fixed on a drive shaft, supported in a cantilever fashion, and fluidizing means to create a fluidized bed where the grinding disc rotates at high speed, generating negative pressure to grind granular bodies without collision, using abrasive grains like diamond or cubic boron nitride.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple grinding wheels are mounted on the same drive shaft, then the grinding capacity is increased, but the device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase due to balancing adjustment requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding capacityVSAvoidbalancing adjustment
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the grinding function into multiple independent grinding discs (first grinding disc and second grinding disc) mounted on separate drive shafts instead of multiple wheels on one shaft. This segmentation allows each disc to be independently balanced and maintained, resolving the contradiction between grinding capacity and maintenance complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If the rotor is oscillated to bring granular bodies into collision with grinding surfaces, then the grinding effectiveness is improved, but the balancing adjustment becomes difficult and vibration increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding effectivenessVSAvoidbalancing adjustment
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of oscillating the rotor to achieve grinding contact, the invention inverts the approach by rotating the grinding discs at high speed and using fluidized bed aeration to make the granular bodies move and collide with the grinding surfaces. This eliminates the balancing and vibration issues associated with oscillating rotors while maintaining grinding effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Productivity

If high circumferential speed is used to generate negative pressure, then the process efficiency is improved, but the power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess efficiencyVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces pneumatic aeration to fluidize the granular bodies, allowing them to be lifted and move toward the grinding discs. This pneumatic assistance reduces the reliance on purely mechanical high-speed rotation for material feed, thereby improving process efficiency while moderating power consumption compared to mechanical oscillation systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

4Force

If heavy grinding wheels are used for grinding, then the grinding force is sufficient, but the maintainability deteriorates due to replacement difficulty

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding forceVSAvoidmaintainability
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the grinding system into multiple thinner grinding discs on separate drive shafts rather than using heavy single grinding wheels. Each disc can be independently removed and replaced by accessing its drive shaft, significantly improving maintainability while maintaining sufficient grinding force through the combined action of multiple discs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes from a single-plane grinding configuration to a multi-plane configuration with grinding discs arranged at different heights and positions. This dimensional arrangement allows maintenance personnel to access and replace individual discs from different sides of the device, improving ease of repair without compromising grinding capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enhances process efficiency, reduces power consumption, prevents crushing of granular bodies, and extends the life of the grinding tool by minimizing force exertion on the grinding surfaces, resulting in higher quality reclaimed materials and improved maintainability.

Implementation Method 1

fluidizing means configured to send air from a bottom surface portion of the case upwardly to fluidize granular bodies in a floating state and form a fluidized bed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluidization: Fluidisation

Implementation Method 2

the drive shaft is driven to rotate the single grinding disc fixed to the drive shaft such that the single grinding disc rotates at a circumferential speed generating a negative pressure on the grinding surfaces, wherein the granular bodies urged toward the grinding surfaces of the grinding disc are ground in contact with the grinding surfaces by the negative pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectNegative pressure: Pressure Drop

Implementation Method 3

abrasive grains made of diamond or cubic boron nitride... granular bodies urged toward the grinding surfaces of the grinding disc are ground in contact with the grinding surfaces by the negative pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbrasion: Abrasion

Data Source

PatentEP2514539B1Granular body grinding device
Publication Date: 2016.07.06 MATSUKAWA YASUTSUGU
  • EP2514539B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2514539B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2514539B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

It is an object to provide a granular body grinding device capable of grinding granular bodies efficiently and excellently and to provide a foundry sand reclamation device and a particulate generating device to which the granular body grinding device is applied. A granular body grinding device comprises a case 10 for containing granular bodies 2; a drive shaft 23 supported by the case 10 to be rotationally drivable; a grinding disc 30 having a disc-like disc main body 31 that is fixed on the drive shaft 23 and that is formed with disc surfaces perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 23, and formed with a grinding surface 32 at the disc surface of at least one of the disc surfaces on both sides of the disc main body 31; and fluidizing means 40 for fluidizing the granular bodies 2 in a floating state by sending air from the a bottom surface portion of the case 10, to form a fluidized bed S in which at least a part of the grinding surface 32 is soaked.